5 September 2020
The young eagle fledged on 31 August. I couldn’t wait to get to the Garden to see him fly. When I arrived at the top of the waterfall he was feeding on the nest. It took a while before he flew. Even though it was not his first flight, my breath still caught in my throat when he flew off the nest.
During the time I was there he took a few short flights. It was so special to see him test his wings. He ill get more and more confident each day. The adults were around to keep an eye and show him the ropes.
The performance by the adults was spectacular. They flew so low over my head, I almost felt as if I could touch them. There were moments that I did not even lift the camera – I just watched them in awe.
The crows were their usual pesky selves. The eagles chased after them a few times with a speed that left me breathless.
Seeing the two adults together was such a wonderful sight.
There were also two Striped Pipits, and what looked like their little one.
There were many large grasshoppers around. This one was warming up in he early morning sun.
13 September 2020
The young eagle was finally given a name: Motsumi – The Hunter. I thought it was a very good name!
The adults did a few very low fly-byes and were magnificent as always.
I was very lucky to see the Fairy Flycatcher as it was almost time for them to head south. Not the best photo because these are busy little birds!
The male Cape weavers were very busy building nests. I love watching these clowns.
It is not just about the birds. There are also some smaller creatures. The large green grasshoppers were still almost everywhere, and I found a freshly molted Highveld Lesser Thicktail Scorpion under a rock.
